Fantastic Four: First Steps Review!

Fantastic Four: First Steps is a feel good comic book movie with a strong cast and a Marvel movie that stands on its own! The film’s director is Matt Shakman who had directed all of the episodes of WandaVision (2021). The writing team consists of Josh Friedman, who created the sci fi show, Foundation, and television show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Eric Pearson is another of the film’s writers who also worked on Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Ian Springer is also a screenwriter, he previously wrote with Kaplan, the comedy, The Last of the Great Romantics (2014). Pearson, Kaplan, and Springer also contributed the story. Kat Wood is also a writer for the story, she also co-wrote the fansty film, Arthur & Merlin (2015). It all began with Fantastic Four #1 (1961) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The film is a tribute to the work of Jack Kirby and he is in the roots of this comic book film. 

The film opens with a simple, retro Marvel Studios logo and then we are shown that it is Earth-828. I instantly recognized the hopeful theme was by Michael Giacchino, one of the best parts of the film for me. A similar vision of the Space Age future that was in his score for Tomorrowland (2015). Earth-828 separates it from the rest of the MCU set on Earth-616. This is a new world and named for Jack Kirby’s birthday, August 28, his birth year was 1917. The year is 1964, this would be issue #22-33 well into Kirby’s run, and in our world, the launch of the Gemini I. It begins in the room of Reed and Sue Richards at the Baxter Building. They were wed in Fantastic Four Annual 3 (1965). Sue is in the bed in a robe. She is played by Vanessa Kirby who was The White Widow in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023). She also known for the historical drama series, The Crown, where she played Princess Margaret. Vanessa Kirby stands out as a strong character. 

Reed is looking around the cabinets to find Benadryl. Pedro Pascal plays Mister Fantastic. He is in a number of genre roles including Joel in The Last of Us and played Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). Sue moves over a bottle of Benadryl and a pregnancy strip that is positive! A dramatic beginning for a superhero film! Reed says they have been trying to have a baby for two years, when they were married?, in the comics, it was in Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1967). Reed announced Sue's pregnancy in that issue. Then, we get The Ted Gilbert Show, in the style of Ed Sullivan, the host is played by Mark Gatiss. This year's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning featured Gatiss as Angstrom. I just remembered Gatiss from The Doctor Who episode, "The Lazarus Experiment" (2007). The show recaps the mission taken by the four astronauts. This includes Sue's brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and the best pilot and Reed's friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). 

Quinn is well known for playing Eddie Munson in the fourth season of Stranger Things. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) also featured Quinn as Eric. Moss-Bachrach is known for playing Richard Jerimovich in the drama, The Bear. He also played David Lieberman in the Netflix superhero drama, The Punisher (2017).  A big part is that Thing is not tragic, the characters are different, and presented that way in the movie, so any such changes should be accepted if it is still an enjoyable film.Their flight, explained by Reed's interview, encountered a cosmic storm that altered their DNA. We see their powers at the landing. Their code names are not really used, except Mr. Fantastic, just their first names, no Invisible Woman (Sue), Human Torch (Johnny), and The Thing (Ben). It humanizes them, but takes away some of the superhero parts. Johnny can ignite parts of his body into flames and fly, without his catch phrase. Ben is a mass of orange rocks with incredible strength, he was dubbed by Sue who was shocked at his appearance, but here no one takes notice of Ben's look.

There is clips showing Reed stretching from an explosion at the launch pad that is next to the Baxter Building. Then, we see him elongate his legs to kick an oranguatan, Peotr, one of the Super-Apes working for the Red Ghost. They first appeared with the Red Ghost in Fantastic Four #13 (1963) gaining intelligence from an accident on a Russian space flight. He is kicked off the launch pad and into the Hudson.  Sue uses her invisible force field powers to hold debris from an attack, love the rainbow reflections like from a prism, good way to show invisibility! We see a disaster downtown with Ben using the Fanasticar in its flight mode. It first appeared in the first issue of the comic and had pods to carry all of the FF. Here it is a sleek 60's concept car that has Ben in front and three seats in the back. In another battle, we see the Kaiju Giganto bursting from a street, recreating the cover of Fanastic Four #1 (1961)! 

Marvel had many Kaiju in monster comics before the debut of the FF. This a great nod to them which includes Fin Fang Foom, Titan, and a talking tree named Groot! Giganto was sent by the first villain, Mole-Man! The battle was told in the prequel comic, Fanastic Four: First Steps, written by Matt Fraction. Ted Gilbert introduces the team. These early clips has the classic Kirby designed outfits. He is also in the upcoming comedy film, The Naked Gun. Also mentioned is the Mad Thinker from Fantastic Four #15 (1963) and the Red Ghost.  Ben cannonballs from the Fantasticar into Hudson River and lugs a tanker by its anchor chain! Then, we see the Fantastic Four cartoon, This has the look fo the Hanna Barbera cartoon from 1967-8, and we hear Ben's catch phrase, "It's clobberin' time!" Johnny in Human Torch form flies over to extinguish a firestorm that has around two buildings!

 We see Reed hosting a science show, Fantastic Science with Mr. Fantastic. Reed's code name is used for this show which is like the 50's-60's kid show, Mr. Wizard. He bores the kids with his discovery of parallel dimensions. There is a Pan Am building that collapses. The FF take away Harvey Elder called Mole Man played Paul Walter Hauser. The true crime mini-series, Black Bird (2022), won Hauser an Emmy. Sue negotiates with Mole Man, she has formed a multi-nation group called the Future Foundation, Harvey's undeground world is Subtteranea. The foundation was created in Fantastic Four #570 (2010). We also see the placard of Latveria, nation ruled by Doctor Doom who first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 (1962)! It is great that Sue gets a lead role for the team.This was all for Ted Gilbert to introduce the Fantastic Four to a cheering audience. Back at the Baxter Building's kitchen, H.E.R.B.I.E. is preparing dinner while Ben watches, and Johnny grabs a box with a FF figure. 

The robot has tape reel eyes, spots that make a mouth, a trapezoid head, and a rocket ship-like body. H.E.R.B.I.E. is fascinating since he was introduced in the cartoon series, the New Fantastic Four. He made his comic debut in Fantastic Four #209 (1979). His name is an acronym for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics. Matthew Wood voices H.E.R.B.I.E., who also voices the Star Wars battle droids. Reed and Sue enter and Johnny says, "You're late" which stops them for a bit. He adds that they are late for dinner. Ben watches Sue and then says, "You're pregnant?" Johnny catches on and hugs his sister. We get a montage of H.E.R.B.I.E. busy child proofing the building, some funny moments with Ben. Reed has detected a deep space transmission. Johnny shows him designs for new suits. He is more thoughtful, less impulsive and wild like in the comics. He later tests Sue to examine for anything unusual about their infant, she uses her powers to make her belly invisible to see the baby. 

The child was born in Fantastic Four Annual 6 (1968). He was named after Sue's father. 

The only film that may comparable to this Fantastic Four is The Incredibles (2004) which also had a quartet of superheroes. The Parr family are all parents and siblings (plus Frozone!) and their use of powers is great. It was more of the 60’s spy design than Space Age. Here the powers and super-identities are minimized to focus on the drama of the story. I absolutely love that the Fantastic Four cast from the infamous, cancelled film get a chance to appear in an FF film out in the theaters; William Russell, an ABC newscaster is played by Alex Hyde-White (Reed Richards), Rebecca Staab (Invisible Woman) plays Carolyn Haynes, a reporter for Channel 9, Carolyn Haynes, also two Power Plant Workers, one played by Jay Underwood (Human Torch) salutes Johnny after the firestorm, and other Michael Bailey Smith (The Thing) plays the other worker next to him. There are mid-credit and end credit scenes. Fantastic Four: First Steps is a fresh, stand alone Marvel film with great acting that really shows the strength of Marvel's First Family! 

Five+ FantasticCars out of Five! 

#FantasticFourFirstSteps, #MattShakman, #JoshFriedman, #EricPearson, #IanSpringer, #KatWood, #StanLee, #JackKirby, #VanessaKirby, #PedroPascal, #JosephQuinn, #EbonMossBachrach,  #MatthewWood, #JuliaGarner, #RalphIneson, #NatashaLyonne, #SarahNiles, #AlexHydeWhite, #RebeccaStaab, #JayUnderwood, #MichaelBaileySmith 

Re:tro Re:view - Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor Book Two!

Superman: The Death of Lex Luthor book two takes the duo to the future, secrets from the past, and truths courtesy of Wonder Woman! Lex Luthor has revealed that he is dying from experimenting with Kryptonite! Superman thinks back to his days in Smallville with a young, arrogant Luthor. Also, he thinks they are the only ones in town who may understand each other. In the present, Superman takes Luthor to his Fortress of Solitude, and takes him into the Bottle City of Kandor. They find no cure so Superman has the Kandorians ready retrieve them. They use the projector to enter the dark dimension discovered by his father, the Phantom Zone! The projection has barren planets, winds, and a purple light. It is a greywasteland with winds and they communicate through telepathy. 

Superman offers Luthor to hit him, he swings, but finds they are made of ghost-like dark energy. The prisoners start to call his name, “Kal-El”, like ghosts out of the underworld. They are formed into an army by General Zod! They start to swarm Superman who realizes that their hatred has made them solid as well as himself. The emotion using to act physical makes me think of the subway spirit in Ghost (1990). Superman is mobbed and cries out for Luthor to save him! A reversal of their situations. Luthor calmly uses his willpower to pick up a blade from the ground. Zod tells him to join them and stab Superman! Luthor says he likes the offer, but holds the blade to Zod’s neck! He forces Zod to have his army to release Superman. 

Zod rages and tries to swing at Luthor, so he calls on his army, to concentrate and throw Luthor painfully out of the Phantom Zone! The Kandorian leader, Drygor Moliom, wonders why Superman would save Luthor who threatened him. Smallville, we see the young Clark pleading for Luthor to open a lab door and then says it is his fault, saving Luthor is his redemption! Book Two continues with a Bryan Hitch cover that shows Superman flying over an admiring crowd as a man and woman look up to see him. The variant covers by Francis Manapul and Chris Samnee show the rivals of Luthor and Superman. Mark Waid continues writing the tale, Hitch provides pencils, and Kevin Nowlan inks book two. At the Daily Planet, the staff are working on the tracking polling on Superman’s decision to save Luthor. Jimmy Olsen is uncertain if Superman knows about the polling. 

Lois Lane tells him that Superman only does what he thinks is right. This would be interesting for Lois with the recent Superman movie. It is nice that we have a ground level reaction and a look back to Lois and Jimmy while the cosmic events are going on. We also get questions of morality from Jimmy on why Superman doesn’t permanently stop Luthor. Lois counters that Superman could kill villain after villain, but he has to put boundaries. Superman exists to find solutions. Great Superman writing. Superman can see them and says to himself, “Thanks Lois.” Luthor is restless waiting in the Fortress of Solitude with globes of different Kryptonite in the background. Superman says that he will take Luthor to the smartest man he’s ever met. 

He holds up a Legion flight ring with Luthor framed in the curved shank of the ring! Waid had a run on the Legion of Super-Heroes in 2005. Superman puts on the flight ring and flies pulling along Luthor in a time bubble.This opens up to a stunning two page spread with the Legion against the Fatal Five in the 31st century! The Legion first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 (1958) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. The same team that created Supergirl. The battle continues across a long horizontal panel and Superman smiles introducing them to Luthor. He drops out of the sky as the Legion take the Fatal Five into custody. Superman says he was a member and Saturn Woman says he inspired them. Luthor wonders who he inspired and the Legionnaires joke that they never heard of him! 

They fly back to Legion headquarters for Superman to meet Brainiac 5, whom he greets as Querl Dox. His computer-like intellect, Brainiac 5 calls Luthor, an ape. Saturn Woman is the telepathic link between Brainiac and Superman who uses his vision to examine Luthor on the sub-atomic level! We have a quote from W. William Frazer about being recognized for “who we are.” Also, we need someone to keep us grounded and encouraging us to fly. We see Clark in the classroom and Luthor hard at work in his lab. At night, Clark goes to the lab and Luthor shows him his lab, Clark is stunned. Luthor has a transformer that can open a wormhole. He has a plan to open a dimensional portal? I wonder where if that is some movie. I like the reddish orange tint to the lab with colors from David Baron.  

Luthor is obsessed with not being “alone in the universe”, then he opens a box containing a meteorite! The green glow of Kryptonite! Clark starts to feel pain and Luthor says it has a “unique radiation” that powers his machine. I like that they haven’t discovered the effect of Kryptonite. Luthor holds the egg-like Kryptonite in closeup with Clark weakened behind him. Clark holds up his hands to try to block the Kryptonite and Luthor takes it for fearing him as a freak. He tosses Clark out of the lab. Clark tries to warn Luthor. Lex Luthor then gets a glimpse of Kryptonopolis, the capital city of Krypton. He gets a warning of the E.M. field breaching and then an explosion! We see again Clark trying to break into the lab saying it was his fault. The blame is really Luthor trying to experiment beyond any safety protocol. 

We see Luthor’s angry face as his hair is burned away and then an explosion. Saturn Girl sees the vision because of its strength. Superman explains that it was his first exposure to Kryptonite, Saturn Girl and his form look holographic behind the face of young Clark. He says that Luthor left Smallville and hazmat teams covered up the site. Brainiac 5 calls Superman’s attention since Luthor is going into convulsions. He says that every time he tries to use a cure, the pathogen attacks his system almost causing a stroke. Any medicines would be too powerful for a “21st century Earthling.” Superman says that the future could have discovered the cure, but Brainiac 5 says records were corrupted for the last ten centureis. He tells Superman to be careful of his enemy. Superman’s thoughts are that he was watching Luthor’s pulse and brain patterns suspecting a trap. 

When they leave, Saturn Girl says that Brainiac 5 was lying and that they know what happened to Luthor! Next, Superman takes Luthor along in the time bubble and says he will need to make negotiations. Then, we see the imposing figure of Wonder Woman in front of Themyiscra! Hitch returns to draw the character after working on a story in Wonder Woman #750 (2020). She says there are warrants for Luthor’s arrest in 32 countries and also for the Justice League to take him into custody. Wonder Woman has already defied these authories. Superman tells her that he will turn over Luthor, but he has to be alive. A kind of reasonable condition. He asks as friend to use the Purple Ray on Luthor. I don’t know how it works. The Greek goddess of healing is Panacea, daughter of Asclepius. 

Does this ray use some of her magic to heal channeled through science?, Wonder Woman walks in both worlds. It has been around since Wonder Woman #1 (1942). Extreme closeup of Wonder Woman’s face as it looks like she is thinking, “What the-?” Then, a splash page of Wonder Woman’s right cross as she screams out, “How are you?” Superman looks floored by the punch and Luthor looks slammed back in his bubble! Wow. Ever see a picture of a punch that hits so hard you feel it in your jaw? Luthor is hurtled to the sea and wishes he had a camera to record the battle. Superman struggles with Wonder Woman over Themysicra. She says he has broken the trust with the Justice League and should just let fate take Luthor and make people safer. We see a closeup of Wonder Woman’s raging face. 

Superman calmly reasons with Wonder Woman saying he doesn’t want people to see him as a weapon. Letting a single person die may make the world’s people think about Superman’s judgment on them. Closeup of Wonder Woman’s morose face, incredible character work by Hitch and the art team! She agrees to take Luthor to the Purple Ray and Wonder Woman says that the rest of the Justice League are covering for him. She reminds me that no man may step foot on Themyscira. We see the halls in the Isle of Healing with statues of goddesses tinged in purple of course. Luthor says it looks like the set of Clash of the Titans! Wonder Woman has Luthor restrained with her lasso. It looks like Hygieia, the goddess of health with a snake on her arm, is holding a large bowl that projects the Purple Ray. This is how it works? We see in a single panel Superman landing in an alley and taking out a suit to return as Clark Kent. Wonder Woman questions Luthor about his fear. 

Luthor has to admit he is afraid of dying because this was not the end he envisioned. I like the Smallville scenes revealing the pivotal moments, but even more is Wonder Woman’s lasso getting to the truth with Luthor! Clark walks the streets with the people of Metropolis with the golden light of the sun. Luthor admits that he is close to inventing interstellar travel because he doens’t want to die on Earth. He says the Kryptonian is immortal and can look down on humans forever. We see Wonder Woman again in closeup saying he is wrong. We get a page of horizontal panels showing Clark with Lois as we hear Wonder Woman explaining to Luthor. She says what Superman really thinks of ordinary people is that he is in awe of them. He admires humans since they don’t have super powers and still face the “darkest times.” She says people are made of tissue paper, but “can do anything.” This seems to hint at Larry Niven’s 1969 essay, “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex”! We see Wonder Woman’s face in closeup as she says, “You’re his heroes.” This scene just sums up so much about Superman and is one of my favorite all time Superman stories. A powerful story reveals the characters of Superman and Luthor with stunning art in Superman: The Death of Lex Luthor Book Two! 

Five+ Kryptonite Cells out of Five! 

#SupermanTheDeathOfLexLuthor, #MarkWaid, #BryanHitch, #KevinNowlan, #JimmyOlsen, #LoisLane, #Superman, #LexLuthor, #SaturnWoman, #Brainiac5, #ClarkKent, #WonderWoman

Signing at Walt's Barn and the L.A. Zoo!

 On Sunday, July 20th, there was a great signing at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn, plus a chance to visit the L.A. Zoo! Christopher Merritt and Don Hahn were signing their book, The Happiest Place on Earth, for the 70th anniversary of Disneyland! The book was published on July 15th and has a price tag of $60 for a hardcover with 320 pages and plenty of pictures.The book was sold out for the signing! Merritt worked as Art Director and Production Designer on the many Disney parks around the world. He also wrote Knott’s Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott’s Berry Farm (2010). Hahn is known for producing The Lion King (1994), directing the documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty, and wrote Yesterday’s Tomorrow: Disney’s Magical Mid-Century (2017). A must own book for anyone interested in Disneyland and Disney Parks! 

There was a long line that just kept getting longer as the day went on. Walt’s Barn was probably the most crowded I’ve seen it at in the times I’ve been there. This is great, I hope more and more people come to this special place. Also, there was a bit of a queue to get into the barn, and U learned the side area was used for gardening. I like seeing all of the artifacts and objects from Walt’s time at the barn. I asked about the existing parts of Nature’s Wonderland from the model in the barn. A volunteer pointed out the two tunnels with existing track. He said the rest of the model was in the area of Galaxy’s Edge. One part I may have skipped is Ollie Johnston’s Station. The scale models continue with a tiny train chugging around. Still, one of my ambitions since it so close, was to make a visit to the L.A. Zoo which is just down Zoo Drive. 

Authors, Christopher Merritt and Don Hahn, signing The Happiest Place on Earth, at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn, photo by the author. 

The Los Angels Zoo & Botanical Gardens features free parking and also rows of outside vendors, fantastic! The address of the zoo is 5333 Zoo Dr. Check out the zoo's website: https://lazoo.org. The outside sign has been changed, but was in the opening of the sitcom, Three’s Company. The small plaza leads to stairs. Kinda disappointing with photographers there. There should be fountains, a small kid’s playground area, also if possible keepers bringing around some ambassador animals like a snake under shade. This summer is the opening of the Cape Vulture Plaza. Alongside the stairs, there should be factoids like when the zoo opened and how many acres it occupies. To the left is a nice harbor seal enclosure with rock work, waterfall, and pool. 

A little ways up and to the right is the enclosure for two rescued illegal pet alligators, Reggie, and I was surprised that was another alligator, Tina. So a word of warning on a hot day, the animals may be out of sight, there is no shade in front of viewing windows or areas for visitors to look in. So there were a number of resting animals. One of the surprises at the Honolulu Zoo and Nashville Zoo is how the exhibits are integrated in the landscape, so it feels like you are walking around a safari. This could provide shade and resting areas for the animals and guests. There is a mister in the chimpanzee enclosure. I have seen misters and fans throughout Universal Studios Hollywood. Tents and theming from the various parts of world; Africa, Asia, and the Americas would also be great. Maybe snacks and drinks from different countries in carts at the various locations. 

 The Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains, Los Angeles Zoo, author’s photo, they have the right idea, getting shade! 

A crack in the rock work had a meerkat getting shade. I hope that signs are especially showcased since there was a mother who said to her child, “Look, it’s Timon!” Ugh. A nice pond had trumpeter swans named  Webby and Dewey, I really like the names of the animals displayed! The flamingo enclosure had a small atrium like area. What looked like the leader honked to another reluctant flamingo past the gate, like “Join the party!” The other flamingo was shy and kept stepping back! I really liked seeing the “zeh-bor-ah”, zebra, walking around his dusty enclosure. Part of the Animals of the Drylands. The cape vultures are stunning with the rockwork and one checked out visitors behind the wall. 

Then, it was time to get some vittles for myself, at Pink’s Hot Dogs. Onwards from there was the giraffes also at Animals of Africa. I found out from my own research that they were called camelopard in Old English. I imagine travelers trying to describe a giraffe would try the best to describe it with some animals they might know. I also liked seeing the okapi, which was identified by Sir Harry Johnston and the species was later called the Okapia johnstoni! Walking back, no gorillas seem to be out, but the orangutan enclosure is elaborate. Nice netting and swings so the orangutans can move all over the enclosure. I did like the mist that blew across a walkway! Finished up with the reptiles of The Lair, at the end is a green pool with gharials, a crocodile with a long, thin snout. I noticed with their swimming that they have their limbs to the side, almost like a pull toy, with the tail pushing them along. It always great to stop by Walt's Barn especially for the Christopher Merritt and Don Hahn signing! Plus a visit to the L.A. Zoo is exhausting, but great to see the animals!  

#WaltDisneysCarolwoodBarn, #ChristopherMerritt, #DonHahn, #TheHappiestPlaceOnEarth, #LosAngelesZoo, #Reggie, #Tina, #Webby, #Dewey, #CapeVulturePlaza, #TheLair  

Re:tro Re:view - Superman and the Mole Men!

Superman and the Mole Men (1951), introduces George Reeves as Superman and has a great message about tolerance! This is the first film for a DC Comics character. There was a fifteen part serial of Superman (1948)  played by Kirk Alyn and the Fleischer cartoons were short films. It became the two part episodes of season one of Adventures of Superman, retitled “The Unknown People” (1953) and edited. The DVD of season 1 contains the film. I’m not certain why the name of the Mole Men was changed. The Mole People (1956) was three years later. The Marvel villain, Mole Man and the Moloids were introduced in 1961. Lee Sholem, a prolific director of television, directs the film, He later directed 14 episodes of Adventures of Superman and also directed Tarzan’s Magic Fountain (1949) with Lex Barker as Tarzan. Screenwriter, Robert Maxwell went on to produce the first two seasons of Adventures of Superman. 

Whitney Ellsworth is a co-writer of the screenplay, difficult to find his credit, he was a writer for Superman and other comics in the Golden Age. The film is on pay per view at most channels. It is in black and white and has an animated title. The score by Darrell Calker has horns and some thumping of drums. His music was replaced in the television episodes. The narrator (Jack Narz) summarizes Superman’s origin, escaping Krypton, and landing on Earth “with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.” The background of ringed planets then has the heroic figure of Superman played by George Reeves. This shifts to his identity as Clark Kent in suit, glasses, and hat. Then, back to Superman with the American flag rippling behind him. Very similar to the tv program, but without triumphant music by Leon Klatzkin. 

We move to pastoral town of Silsby, “Home of the World’s Deepest Oil Well” which we see on a welcome sign. We pan down from an oil well to National Oil Co.’s sign. A worker comes up with wrenches and his supervisor, Bill Corrigan (Walter Reed) tells him to throw them into a hole. The worker complains about throwing away expensive equipment. Then, the worker points out an approaching car. Pop Shannon (J. Farrell MacDonald) startles Corrigan. The car pulls up with John Craig (Ray Walker), Clark, and Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates). Craig, the publicist, introduces the reporters to Pop, the oil field’s watchmen. Pop tells them that Corrigan is shutting down the well. John goes to find out what is going on. Lois says it is wasted trip. Clark says they can write “the deepest oil well ever abandoned”, kinda funny.

Lois wonders how she will take pictures. Jimmy Olsen isn’t with them. Craig says to Corrigan that the reporters made the trip from Metropolis. Corrigan reported to corporate and ordered the shut down. Clark and Lois walk up and he asks Corrigan how far did they last drill. Corrigan says over 32,000 feet which is the farthest man has ever gone. Amazing! This is comparable to the Bertha Rogers borehole in 1972 which reached molten sulfur! John apologizes to Lois and Clark and offers them rooms in Silbury paid by the company. Clark looks at the machinery in the hole. This is basically the detective or reporter investigation from films and tv, kinda slow. Lois walks down the hotel steps who has packed for the trip back. Clark says he will pack in the morning and says that if they left they would reach Dallas. I guess Silsbury is somewhere in Texas. 

Clark is suspicious about Corrigan and wants to drive to the well that night. Lois joins him. Pop is relaxing in house eating an orange. Outside, at the well cover, the latches open and Pop hears this and checks outside. He closes the door and then out of the well cover comes a Mole Man (Billy Curtis)! A little person with a large bald head (bald cap), curved eyebrows, and wearing black, furry suits. It is eight minutes into the film before we get anything unusual. He pulls up another Mole Man (John T Bambury) and they search the area. Clark and Lois pull up in the car, it looks like in the day, but filming was limited, he sees the open door. They rush in to see Pop unconscious! Lois suspects he had a heart attack. Clark wonders about the oranges spilled on the floor. He tells Lois to contact John and then goes to investigate. 

Clark doesn't use his Superman powers like x-ray vision to help with the mystery. This was something that was on the show, but I think the movie is really an attempt to check on how things work. Clark goes out to check the well. Lois makes the call, the Mole-Men look into the window, and she screams. Clark tells Craig to send the police to the well while Lois is in shock. Later, Lois says they had the body of moles, do moles wear black sweaters?, and human heads. Dr. Reed (John Baer) walks in and says that Pop died from a heart attack. Clark asks if that could have been “frightened to death.” The doctor says this is possible. Lois is angry that the sheriff (Stanley Andrews) doesn’t believe her about what she saw. The Lois of the tv show wouldn't go into shock and would investigate on her own. Clark stays with Corrigan and asks about his report and the buried tools. He says he will print Corrigan’s story if there is proof.

Corrigan takes him to a room and carefully takes out tubes of the sampled earth from the drilling. He had examined them and then turned to find that they glow in the dark. Clark thinks it may be radium. Corrigan says that the drill hit an air packet when they stopped. This leads to him thinking it is a Hollow Earth, disproven, but lives on in fiction. Hollow Earths are in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ At the Earth’s Core (1914) that led to the Pellucidar series. Corrigan gets a call and says that coroner was on his way to get the body, but saw the creatures and crashed his car. Clark turns off the light and sees that the oranges are glowing in the dark! 

Like Imagine Dragons sang, they are radioactive! This kinda doesn't make sense since we see objects that the Mole Men touch glow in the dark, but not themselves. Out of the trees, the Mole Men see them leave in their car. Corrigan gets a call and says that the coroner was on his way, but saw the creatures and crashed his car. Out of the trees, the Mole Men see them leave in their car. In town, a little girl (Beverly Washburn) sees the silent Mole Men at her window and greets them. One them climbs into the room, that’s creepy. The townspeople have gathered in the hotel lobby with rifles ready. Luke Benson (Jeff Corey) wants to hunt down the little Mole Men! Clark tries to stop them and says that they are peaceful and just that everyone is afraid. The child rolls a ball to the Mole Man and then they roll it back. She sees the glowing ball and asks if they are magic. 

Her mother sees them and screams! The mob starts walking towards the house. Superman appears, it’s about 24 minutes into the film, he leaps up and we hear the whoosh of his flight. Lois wants to phone in the story and Superman convinces her that it will only cause “nationwide hysteria.” Superman bends the rifle of Benson, but he still runs off. The Mole Men make it to a dam, a matte painting, and one of them is shot! Superman catches him in mid-fall and takes the Mole Man to a hospital. Benson has the dogs chase after the other Mole Man, apparently they can’t catch his scent and he can run faster the dogs and the men. It feels like Part I has Clark with Superman revealed at the end and then important in Part II. Superman and the Mole Men feels like a try out for the Adventures of Superman series, George Reeves as Superman is fantastic, and there is a great sci fi premise of tolerance. 

Four Capes out of Five! 

#SupermanAndTheMoleMen, #LeeSholem, #RobertMaxwell, #GeorgeReeves, #PhyllisCoates,  #WalterReed, #RayWalker, #BillyCurtis, #JohnTBambury, #JFarrellMacDonald, #StanleyAndrews, #JohnBaer

Superman Review!

 Out of the darkness of recent superhero movies, there comes the one hero named Superman to bring a DC Universe into the light coutesy of writer and director James Gunn! Superman is the legend spinning out of the anthology comic, Action Comics #1 (1938) with the cover and art by Joe Shuster and first story, “Superman, Champion of the Oppressed” by Jerry Siegel! A very popular comic book figure that eventually found his way into live action serials with Superman (1948) played by Kirk Alyn. The next Superman was George Reeves in Superman and the Mole-Men (1951). This led to the television series, Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Reeves was the image of Superman until Christopher Reeve took up the cape starting with Superman (1978) directed by Richard Donner. There was again another long pause until Superman Returns (2006) played by Brandon Routh.

Henry Cavill was the next Superman and now it is David Corenswet to fill the boots of The Son of Krypton! Gunn had created the animated series, Creature Commandos (2024), as the first entry in DC Universe called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. His last film was wrapping up the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Title cards begin the film with the appearance of metahumans, the DC Comics term for persons with superpowers. Leading to the era of Gods and Monsters. This was 3 centuries ago,1725, before the Revolutionary War. These metahumans may be Uncle Sam II, a spirit that bound to a human giving him powers, and in the 1800s, Max Mercury, a speedster, and Icon, a Terminan alien, and a powerful black superhero. Then, 3 decades ago, Jonathan and Martha Kent find the spacecraft and adopt the baby as Clark Kent. Three years ago, Superman makes his first public appearance.  

Then, 3 weeks ago, Superman stops the conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur. Boravia was an European country, changed in the movie, that was introduced with Superman #2 (1939). Jarhanpur was also a fictional country created more recently in JLA #62 (2002). Three hours ago, Superman was attacked by the Hammer of Boravia in Metropolis. 3 minutes ago, Superman lost his first battle. Nice countdown using 3's, a nod to the DC Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? He impacts in the Antarctic snow. David Cornswet plays Superman, he was in the disaster film, Twisters (2024), and also the horror film, Pearl (2022). We hear hints of John Williams' "Theme from Superman" which goes to electric guitar courtesy of composer, John Murphy. Superman is wheezing, beaten, and can just give out a piercing whistle. A vulnerable and defeated Superman puts him more in the light of vulnerable and more human. This answers the criticism of the character that he is too over-powered and invulnerable. 

In the distance, a flurry of snow builds and out of it is Krypto! Superman’s pal was created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan in Adventure Comics #210 (1955). Krypto’s other live action appearance was in the show, Titans. He painfully pounces and bites Superman. He is finally able to move his cape, and tells him, “Krypto, home.” Home is one of the important themes of the movie.The other ingredient for a good genre film or show is the cute figure. The superdog drags him across the snow and finally the Fortress of Solitude rises, a cluster of crystal towers. Fascinating that the fortress retracts to keep it secret from outside eyes. They face the fortress door which has the Superman insignia. The big stripe design, a stylized “S”, looks like it is from the limited series Kingdom Come (1996) except with yellow in the background. Krypto barks and the door retracts. Inside the fortress corridor, they are met by four Superman robots. Their more robotic, humanoid design and number identification seems to take inspiration from the All-Star Superman comic series. 

They lift him up and Superman thanks them. 4 (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is the lead robot and says that “we are merely automatons here to serve.” 12 (Grace Chan), is new and says, “He looked at me!” 4 is playing the message recorded by Superman’s parents to soothe him. Jor-El is almost unrecognizable played by Bradley Cooper and Lara (Angela Sarafyan). 4 translates the message from Kryptonian and says that it was damaged in transit. They place him on a medical bed and 5 (Pom Klementieff) says his damage is severe. 4 orders a “healthy dose of yellow sun” magnified through lens to the medical bed. The recharging of Superman’s cells has him cry out in pain. Outside of the Fortress on the Antarctic plain is the figure in black, The Engineer, played by Maria Gabriela de Faria. Aphrodite, in the action comedy, The Duel (2023), was portrayed by de Faria. She was also in the series about a school of assassins in Deadly Class (2018-2019). 

The character, Angelica Spica, has a body of nanites. The Engineer’s first appearance was in Stormwatch #48 (1997). She reports to Lex Luthor, "He landed somewhere near here." Luthor tells her to keep searching for Superman. The Kryptonian sees that the Fortress has been wrecked and 4 says they can't stop Krypto! He flies back to the battle even though 4 told him he is at 83%. The Engineer sees him fly overhead and says, "The alien is on his way back." We see Superman flying into icy canyons and then focus on the insignia of Superman! The Hammer of Boravia, a bulky, armored suit and rounded helmet, flies above Metropolis with a burning building behind him. A mysterious figure for this new character. The Hammer of Boravia demands that the city turn over Superman over the Boravia conflict. He unleashes a beam that slices into a building. Superman checks on the civilians and then tosses the Hammer of Boravia away. 

Taking selfies, funny in its absurdity, while the battle is ongoing is Eve Teschmacher portrayed by Sara Sampaio. Another film by Sampaio include the sci fi film, Wifelike (2022). Her character was introduced and memorably played by Valerie Perrine in Superman. The LuthorCorp are monitoring the battle. The head of the group is Sydney Happersen with the black mustache (Stephen Blackehart) who debuted in Superman #2 (1987). The other important member is Otis Berg (Terence Rosemore). His character is ruthless and not the lovably goofy henchman introduced in Superman the Movie and played to perfection by Ned Beatty. Then, we see out of the blazing sun, Lex Luthor! He is played by Nicholas Hoult who also starred in Nosferatu (2024) and also from the comics, Beast in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Luthor is obsessed with destroying Superman. He has studied 2,500 of his fighting moves and calls out attacks to his team. 

They input the moves to the Hammer of Boravia through drones that surround the battle. This Luthor fighting Superman by proxy. Superman is caught and then thrown down to the street! Metropolis citizens see their fallen hero and only one, Malik Ali (Dinesh Thyagarajan), a falafel vendor helps Superman out of the crater. A brief part, but one of my favorite characters in the movie. Similar to John Henry Irons, the superhero Steel, Superman's inspiration should be to help people and even Superman if he needs it. Luthor orders the Hammer of Boravia to return to base. Eve runs over to hug him for the win. The armored villain returns to a camp made of military tents in Boravia. The workers are all in holiday leisure wear which is unusual. The Hammer of Boravia stomps over to the last tent with the flaps opened by workers. In it is a circular portal that leads to a pocket universe, he crosses a bridge, and then this leads to Lex's base. 

The pocket universe was first seen in Peacemaker's season one episode, "The Choad Less Traveled" (2022). Peacemaker stored his weapons in what he called the Quantum Unfolding Storage Area. It's comics debut was in Legion of Super-Heroes #23 (1986). The Hammer of Boravia removes his helmet to reveal the black mask and goggles of Ultraman. This powerful villain first appeared in Justice League of America #29 (1964). This moves out to see the LuthorCorp tower, two buildings with a bridge between them. The Engineer lands on the roof of the tower and we fade to black, an obvious end of Act I. We see the golden globe spinning on the roof of the Daily Planet building. This shifts to Clark Kent, in a business suit with glasses, awkwardly making his way to the offices of the news organization. He sees Perry White (Wendell Pierce), the show Elsbeth stars Pierce as Captain C.W. Wagner. Pierce also played Congressman Gary in this year's MCU film, Thunderbolts*. 

Bully, Steve Lombard, played by Saturday Night Live veteran, Beck Bennett, greets Clark, "Hey, loser." He is a Superman fan wearing a button on his lapel. Superman #264 (1973) was Lombard's first appearance. Clark gets a call from Pa (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Ma Kent (Neva Howell). Taylor Vince starred in many genre shows and films including Grill in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and in the DC universe, he played Father Hennessy in Constantine (2005). Howell starred in the horror movie, Ghosts of the Ozarks (2021). They play a Mid-Western farm couple complete with charm and accents. Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover) compliments Clark on his interview with Superman. She voiced Floor in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Cat made her debut in Adventures of Superman #424 (1987). Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) smacks Clark's leg admiring his story. Gisondo was Howard Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). 

Lois Lane cuts in posting that the Hammer of Boravia's attack "demanding Superman to show up." An excellent performance by Rachel Brosnahan. She is known for her lead performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She was also in this year's spy thriller The Amateur. Lois is the counter for Clark. They argue about Clark writing the stories about Superman. On the television screens is a news report on the president of Boravia, Ghurkos (Zlatko Buric), who says there was a relationship with his country. Buric starred in Pusher (1996) which led to two sequels. He was also in the over the top disaster movie, 2012 (2009).  Lois Lane cuts in posting that the Hammer of Boravia's attack "demanding Superman to show up." An excellent performance by Rachel Brosnahan. She is known for her lead performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She was also in this year's spy thriller The Amateur. Lois is the counter for Clark.

Clark writing his own story as Superman, kinda arrogant, but we don't get Lois dubbing him with the Superman name. Did he finish a rescue and say, "I'm Superman!" Then, Lex Luthor, how did he become a billionaire? What was the incident that set him on revenge against Superman? Lastly, Lois falling for Clark, what was the pivotal event? Part of her comics background is that she is an army brat, her father is General Sam Lane, this could give some depth to the film character. Starting off past the origin is fine. The Batman (2022) has done so successfully which seems to be the plot structure of this movie. We knew enough of The Batman's partnership with Commissioner Gordon that we don't need it shown. An origin story is not needed or flashbacks, it could be some dialogue. It really feels like starting to read a comic book at issue 3. Something is missing. I like the characters, but don't love them. The characters feel incomplete. Two women interns fan themselves over him.This Jimmy Olsen seems to attract women, he seems commitment-phobic. His other co-workers don't understand his appeal, he can't explain it, so it is confusing. 

Ghurkos denies using the Hammer of Boravia and says that the U.S. has had involvement with his country for 30 years. The Pentagon, Lex Luthor gives a presentation on Ultraman, who throws a truck into some cargo containers. Then, The Engineer whom he had injected with nanites. He also brings up his armored soldiers, the Raptors. General Rick Flag, Sr. says that Superman did stop the war. Grillo plays the father of Rick Flag from The Suicide Squad (2021). He voiced the character in the Creature Commandos animated series. Florence Crawley (Tinashe Kajese), director of the FBI says that 80 billion of arms from LuthorCorp was sent to Boravia. Kajese played Crawley in The Suicide Squad. Albert Tyler (Luis R. Hernandez), attorney general in the comics says there is no longer any Kryptonite. Hernandez was in the comedy film, Gilda Sue Rosenstern: The Motion Picture (2018). The comics character is the father of Dee Tyler, Phantom Lady, who was in the Hall of Justice mural. They first appeared in Action Comics #636 (1989). Luthor says that Planetwatch could at least bring in Superman for questioning. 

Five Pocket Universes out of Five! 

#Superman, #JamesGunn, #DavidCorenswet, #RachelBrosnahan, #NicholasHolt, #EdiGathegi, #NathanFillion, #IsabelaMerced, #MariaGabrielaDeFaria, #AnthonyCarrigan, #SaraSampaio, #SkylerGisondo, #WendellPierce, #BeckBennett, #MikaelaHoover,#ZlatkoBuric, #FrankGrillo, #JamesHiroyukiLiao, #TinasheKajese, #AlanTudyk, #GraceChan, #PomKlementieff, #StephenBlackehart, #TerenceRosemore, #DineshThyagarajan,